Historical Study & Educational Resources
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Blood and Ruins: The Last Imperial War, 1931-1945
"Monumental… [A] vast and detailed study that is surely the finest single-volume history of World War II. Richard Overy has given us a powerful reminder of the horror of war and the threat posed by dictators with dreams of empire." – TheWall Street Journal
A thought-provoking and original reassessment of World War II, from Britain's leading military historian
Richard Overy sets out in Blood and Ruins to recast the way in which we view the Second World War and its origins and aftermath. As one of Britain's most decorated and respected World War II historians, he argues that this was the "last imperial war," with almost a century-long lead-up of global imperial expansion, which reached its peak in the territorial ambitions of Italy, Germany and Japan in the 1930s and early 1940s, before descending into the largest and costliest war in human history and the end, after 1945, of all territorial empires.
Overy also argues for a more global perspective on the war, one that looks broader than the typical focus on military conflict between the Allied and Axis states. Above all, Overy explains the bitter cost for those involved in fighting, and the exceptional level of crime and atrocity that marked the war and its protracted aftermath-which extended far beyond 1945.
Blood and Ruins is a masterpiece, a new and definitive look at the ultimate struggle over the future of the global order, which will compel us to view the war in novel and unfamiliar ways. Thought-provoking, original and challenging, Blood and Ruins sets out to understand the war anew.
A thought-provoking and original reassessment of World War II, from Britain's leading military historian
Richard Overy sets out in Blood and Ruins to recast the way in which we view the Second World War and its origins and aftermath. As one of Britain's most decorated and respected World War II historians, he argues that this was the "last imperial war," with almost a century-long lead-up of global imperial expansion, which reached its peak in the territorial ambitions of Italy, Germany and Japan in the 1930s and early 1940s, before descending into the largest and costliest war in human history and the end, after 1945, of all territorial empires.
Overy also argues for a more global perspective on the war, one that looks broader than the typical focus on military conflict between the Allied and Axis states. Above all, Overy explains the bitter cost for those involved in fighting, and the exceptional level of crime and atrocity that marked the war and its protracted aftermath-which extended far beyond 1945.
Blood and Ruins is a masterpiece, a new and definitive look at the ultimate struggle over the future of the global order, which will compel us to view the war in novel and unfamiliar ways. Thought-provoking, original and challenging, Blood and Ruins sets out to understand the war anew.
Editorial Reviews
"[A] stupendous achievement...Blood and Ruins dissects the sinews of war with the sharpest of scalpels…it is history at its best, down to the finest points."--TheNew York Times
"Blood and Ruins is a monumental work; it is hard to imagine that a more comprehensive study of World War II could possibly be contained between two covers. Richard Overy has given us a powerful reminder of the horror of war and the threat posed by dictators with dreams of empire." -- The Wall Street Journal
"The Pacific clash over colonies reveals a greater truth about the Second World War…Blood and Ruins…refuses to treat the Pacific as ‘an appendix,' as histories often do. Rather, it sees World War II as a truly ‘global event.'"--The Atlantic
"Startling yet persuasive...brilliant." --Kirkus (starred review)
"Astute and incisive. WWII buffs should consider this a must-read" --Publishers Weekly
"One of the great historians of the Second World War." --Sunday Times
"Probably the most important book published on the history of the second world war this century."--Richard J. Evans, The Guardian on The Bombing War
"Tremendous ... a masterpiece of the historian's art." --The Times on The Bombing War
"A superb work, comprehensive and written with rare fire and intelligence." --The Observer on The Dictators
"Stimulating and enjoyable … essential reading." --The Guardian on The Road to War...
"Blood and Ruins is a monumental work; it is hard to imagine that a more comprehensive study of World War II could possibly be contained between two covers. Richard Overy has given us a powerful reminder of the horror of war and the threat posed by dictators with dreams of empire." -- The Wall Street Journal
"The Pacific clash over colonies reveals a greater truth about the Second World War…Blood and Ruins…refuses to treat the Pacific as ‘an appendix,' as histories often do. Rather, it sees World War II as a truly ‘global event.'"--The Atlantic
"Startling yet persuasive...brilliant." --Kirkus (starred review)
"Astute and incisive. WWII buffs should consider this a must-read" --Publishers Weekly
"One of the great historians of the Second World War." --Sunday Times
"Probably the most important book published on the history of the second world war this century."--Richard J. Evans, The Guardian on The Bombing War
"Tremendous ... a masterpiece of the historian's art." --The Times on The Bombing War
"A superb work, comprehensive and written with rare fire and intelligence." --The Observer on The Dictators
"Stimulating and enjoyable … essential reading." --The Guardian on The Road to War...
Readers Top Reviews
C. M Mills
Richard Overy is a professor of history at the University of Essex in Great Britain. He often appears on history tv channels to talk about the Second World War and is a prolific author of that horrible war that took over 50 million human lives (more civilians died in World War II than military personnel). This book runs to almost 1000 pages of small print so it proved to be hard on my senior citizen eyes (I was born in 1947 the year of the author's own birth!) I last read a work of his in 2017 "The Bombed and the Bombers" I received this magnus opus on the April 5, 2022 day of publication release. This amazing and incredibly well researched tome make it the best one volume history of the war in the English language. Among the many things I learned in this work: 1. The Axis powers of Nazi Germany, Japan and Italy wanted to catch up with more established European empires (British and French) and obtain colonies. Their desire to do so led such cruel dictators as Hitler to develop an expansionistic policy of race (Hitler's Reich would murder over six million Jews) and space ( Hitler launched his brutal war against the Soviet Union to win living space for German settlement and to wipe out the Jews in Europe. Japan invaded China in 1931 and Italy under the fatuous Mussolini seized Ethiopia and wanted to rule in the Mediterranean in a revival of the Roman Empire. His government collapsed and Il Duce was arrested in July 1943. 2. Overy devotes many pages to demonstrating how the armies were recruited, who served, the home fronts of the participants and how the war was a continuation of the First World War. 3. Overy devotes several chapters to the chronological timeline of the war until final Allied victory was achieved on all fronts. 4. The book surveys the satanic history of the holocaust against the Jews implemented by the Nazis. 5. The book includes the diplomatic history of the war and the establishment of the United Nations following the end of hostilities. 6. We learn about the economies and workforce available in all of the warring nations 7. Overy addresses the emotional wounds inflicted by the long and bloody war throughout the world. I have only skimmed the surface of this remarkable history. The book is not an easy read and is quite long but it is well worth the effort on the part of the general reader. The Second World War was the most important and crucial war in world history. Highly recommended!
